The latest Triara releases —from 0.8.0 to 0.8.2— have brought three blocks of changes worth telling together, because they all pull in the same direction: making the island feel more alive. There is a proper tavern, a big push of new art, and a layer of narrative that simply did not exist before.
The tavern: a place where things happen
Until now, between fights there was not much to do beyond managing your roster. The tavern fills that gap: it is a place to rest, hear rumours and, above all, get things that do not come out of the Arena.
- Rewards board: every day a rotating set of contracts comes from around twenty characters of the island, each with their own name and trade. There are three tiers —easy, tricky and dangerous— and the objectives vary: deliver materials, win Arena fights, explore a zone, hunt a creature, trade on the market or use potions in combat. You always have a short-term goal.
- The house beer: Brena, the tavern keeper, serves you up to three mugs a day. Each costs 1 coin and gives back 1 action point… but on the third one she cuts you off and throws you out.
- The dice-cup gambler: Varek Nimblehands watches you from his table with a smile that is a touch too calm. Three cups, one ball: you bet, you watch him shuffle and you pick. Get it right and you double; get it wrong and your coins are gone.
- The visiting champion: every so often a passing champion shows up that you can recruit by paying or by completing a hard contract. One more way to grow your roster without relying only on exploration.
Art: the island now has a face
Each character on the board has their own illustrated portrait, so a contract is no longer a line of text: it is a face. On top of that there are new illustrations for the key spots —the blacksmith's forge, the stable, the witch's hut, the ranking hall, the tavern keeper herself— and for things that used to be just icons: the mounts (horse, cow, tiger and hippogriff) and the inventory bags (backpack, chest, pouch, sack).
Versions 0.8.1 and 0.8.2, moreover, went almost entirely into visual improvements on mobile. Since the game is designed for the phone first, I rewrote a good chunk of the panels, cards and dialogs so they read and tap well with one hand.
Narrative: let things be told
It is the most subtle change and perhaps my favourite. Triara's combat plays itself out, so I needed what happens on screen to be understandable and have some character. Now every action is narrated: "{champion} lands a critical hit", "dodges the attack", "reflects the damage", "counterattacks"… with supporting floating text (Dodge!, Counter!, Reflect!, Burning!) so you can follow the fight at a glance.
Exploration has a voice too. Each zone is introduced with a couple of lines that try to give you an image rather than a loot list:
- Coast: "The air tastes of salt and promise. Among foam, broken shells and driftwood, the coast keeps small treasures for those who do not fear wet boots."
- Forest: "Under the ancient canopies, light falls in golden fragments. Roots, mushrooms and fireflies whisper secrets to whoever enters with respect and an empty bag."
And the tavern contracts are little stories in themselves: Mara's stew that needs ingredients "capable of reviving an entire work crew", the routes the cartographer wants to update with details that "do not smell like rumour", or that mist on the path where the hunter would swear he heard something breathing in the bushes.
In short
The tavern gives you a place to hang around and earn rewards, the art puts a face on everything, and the narrative makes exploring and fighting mean something, not just add up numbers. If it has been a while, it is a good time to come back.